Highlandtown's Crosswalk Mural

A fan, promoter and creator of Baltimore's painted screens, art educator Monica Broere has brought the craft to the corner of Eastern and Conkling avenues in Highlandtown. Last month, Broere created a painted-screen style image on the crosswalk, in a project sponsored by Highlandtown's Arts and Entertainment District. Her image of a red-roofed bungalow nestled into rolling green hills channels a style typical of William Oktavec, a Baltimore grocer who originated the painted screen trend in 1913, according to the Painted Screen Society of Baltimore.